Zapping 10 Facebook Friends For A Whopper

So how many Facebook friends have you zapped lately for Burger King's whopper? About 231,116 Facebook friends got the axe from their presumed friends in this social network as of this writing.

It's not as if Burger King is after our own heart by helping us maintain our cool and sanity as we obsess our relationships in the social networks. This weird Burger King ploy was cooked up to counter the flurry of new year resolutions of weight loss and healthy lifestyle. All one has to do is to download a Facebook application called Whopper Sacrifice, proceed to delete 10 of your Facebook friends, and voila - Burger King will send you a free coupon for a whopper. For a publicity stunt this is a bit entertaining all right.

My own experience with Facebook doesn't give me the itch to try this gimmick. Of course, I had irritating encounters with a couple of my friends there. But this I ascribe to my temperament - perhaps I was not fit for human company at that particular moment. Nothing major as to cut off any of them. If it comes to that point when one has to make a clean break, the sensible thing is just to remove the friend from the list.

Of course, when you are sufficiently provoked it's tempting to opt for the Whopper Sacrifice. The beheading of course will be duly noted on Facebook: so and so has deleted (insert creep's name) for a whopper. Poetic justice. Sweetness. But you get to delete nine others whose social blunder maybe as innocuous as sporting a tasteless avatar and stuffing your inbox with irritating banter. There's the rub.

For what it's worth this is your chance, folks. Whopper, anyone?

Break Into Technorati's Top 100 Fave List

Let's help each other break into Technorati's Top 100 Favorites this Christmas season.

In lieu of Christmas gifts, I'm offering a Technorati Link Exchange Gift with my readers. Because I am dirt poor at the moment. No fancy gadgets to give away here for you. Nyahahaha.

Maki in his post about Technorati's exchange favorites cites two irresistible reasons for joining in such an exchange program:

Provides social proof. Getting in the Top 100 provides social proof of your blog’s popularity. This will increase the attractiveness of your site in the eyes of advertisers and blog readers if mentioned or displayed prominently.

Expands your blog readership. You are more likely to receive visitors from Technorati if you are listed in the Top 100 most favorited list. Visitors are bloggers,which means that they are potential feed subscribers if you have quality content.

You're not screwing the Technorati system by participating in this link exchange. There's nothing in the Technorati TOS that prevents you from doing so.

My username in Technorati is Djian. If you care to join me, kindly drop your own username in the comment section. So I can get going and slobber you with some Technorati love.



If you need to write a blog post about this, kindly put a link to me and especially Maki of Dosh Dosh. After all, he's the first to cook up this Technorati love pie.

Here's a link to other reader participants to this Technorati favorites exchange program as compiled by Maki.

For readers who are not blog authors yet, I can hang out with you in Twitter, Facebook, and Friendster. I can be your Boy Friday, pick things after you, and trumpet how cool and fascinating character you are. Of course,when the stars are properly aligned in heaven, I can give your mother's affection for you a run for her money. But only if you want to.

Notes From Under the Rock

Image via Wikipedia
You are here under the rock with me. Isn't this grand, you and I face to face at last? But what am I doing - make yourself comfortable. Let me just dump these pile of clothes elsewhere. There...

So what's your choice of poison? Oops, I forgot, no hard drinks around these parts. Will beer do? I am big on coffee - will you have some?

I have a feeling about you. You were here before, right? You took a peek inside, then you moved on. No hard feelings. I do that myself on occasions. I'm not mister personality myself. Hehehe.

Do you know that I joined Facebook last night? That's a big step for me because I'm not the outgoing type you know? I have reservations because of privacy issues. Does putting my name and face out there cause me to regret it in the future? I don't know. The good thing is I have not done any horrible thing in the past that will show up in Google. Not yet anyway - who knows what terrible atrocity or level of stupidity I may yet unleash, right? Hahahaha.

Any scary scenarios that may befall me by putting myself out there is just that. Mere suppositions. I'm not a celebrity - so who will hound me? I don't own a yacht, nor do I have secret bank account in Switzerland. Who am I kidding? There's no greater waste of time and effort than trying to separate me from my riches. I have none. Of course there are voices in my head, if you're interested, but that's another story altogether.

The alternative, however, to self-imposed seclusion is just as dreadful. That's much like getting lost or sidetracked on your journey to self-improvement. Living in anonymity, without a firmer sense of community, that's a much greater loss, right? Because this very minute, I know friendships are being made, alliances are being forged among individuals in the creative arts and other circles that aspire to be the best in their field. I just can't ignore and be left out in this vibrant give-and-take. Can you?

Besides, I can tweak this interconnectedness to suit my taste. I can always unplug when the noise becomes too much to bear, if it comes to that.

You're going already? Okay, then. Thanks for coming and having this conversation with me.

Oh, I'll walk with you outside. Yes, outside. Isn't that funny - from under the rock into the sunshine? Well, as Woody Allen says, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." That I will do. On the basic premise that this will help me evolve as a better individual.

My friend, drop by again sometime....

I recommend Chris Brogan's insightful post, Template for Building a Small Powerful Social Network

Fire Up Your Business or Personal Growth with Social Networks

Image via WikipediaReinventing oneself is a must in order to survive the present economic hardship we've been facing. We see it applied around us everyday. In our neck of the woods, we see doctors trying their hand at nursing to clinch that plum job posting in London or in the USA. Teachers have become nannies abroad, or household help, while those who elect to stay go on to hone up on their salesmanship. Moms get into part time catering jobs, others become real estate agents or bloggers even.

The good news is we have affordable technology through the social networks in the internet to help us reinvent ourselves and to make our presence felt. Some people call this a paradigm shift, but I guess that's quite a mouthful for us. So we stick to the process of reinventing ourselves.

It doesn't pay to be obscure and languishing in anonymity in this age. If I am celebrity, grunting under the weight of wealth I have stashed somewhere, I can afford to pine for simpler times when no paparazzi hound me. Obviously, I am not. Most of us are not.

The internet, however, is a great democratizing tool. We may have the talent and skills, but we will likely remain small fry in a big pond if we remain tied to the old models of conducting our business.

World Presence

If you're in a small business, and you have a blog or a website, you can make your presence felt on the world stage through the internet. You gain contacts, make a sale or collaborate with like-minded professionals on projects or business deals. You will be at the forefront of emerging trends, methodologies and insights relevant to your field of interest.

Whoever you maybe - a mom, dad, student, or whatever day job you keep - you can further enhance your skills and professional growth even if with less money at your disposal.

Join Social Networks. Facebook is a good addition to your social network. Here you can join a group related to your business or interests. You can seek the counsel of your peers, or you can look for a mentor who can walk you through practically anything be it forming new business ideas or methodologies. With a social network said to be the size of Russia in terms of membership think of the possibilities for your career growth or business.

Or may be MySpace suits you more. Or even Friendster.com. If you're a little leery of breathless teens striking poses on these sites, grin and bear it. Screen out the noise and fluff. Put its strengths to good use. Stop treating social networks as mere vanity mirror to bolster your ego so you can be on your way into making a big splash on the world stage.

Topnotch blog mentor Yaro Starak has an excellent video tutorial on putting Facebook to good use in your blog. Well, he's talking about finding your niche via groups and forums in Facebook. Switch his topic with your own and he may very well be talking about your business as well.

And here's Chris Brogan's helpful post on The Vital Importance of Your Network. Check it out.

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